The paper concerns the issues related to rural landscape. The problem of recreational development of rural areas was discussed. The range of present and future changes of spatial, social, economic and ownership structure of rural areas will influence the landscape. One of the current tasks will be to find balance between protecting the natural and cultural landscape components, maintaining property rights of farmers and preserving tourists' interest. The paper presents studies of contemporary approaches to landscape understood as a public good. In this context public access to landscape has been presented. Public access to landscape should be considered in spatial management processes of rural areas. The proposition presented in the paper relates to two landscape categories: "inner landscape" and "outer landscape". An outer landscape is understood as a landscape seen by the observer (e.g panoramas, views) while an inner landscape are places where the observer can observe the landscape. Lack of the public access to view spots, view roads and view platforms disturbs landscape accessibility for landscape users. Rural landscape possesses high value for contemporary man. It constitutes a social reality that is very rich, Public access to landscape includes spatial planning and law regulations providing the right of way ...
In this paper we propose to look at rural landscape from the perspective of heritage. The issue of landscape is presented in the context of contemporary factors which result from the evolving approach both to the notion of heritage itself and to the rules of its conservation. It was noted that activities which identify not only the natural value of landscape but also its historic, cultural, visual, aesthetic and symbolic values, as well as activities which define a heritage community should become a permanent component of current works on integrated rural development. Rural landscapes are cultural landscapes emerged as a result of a long interaction of environmental factors with the activities of a community living in a given area. In these landscapes traces of the past can be seen in a form of landscape patterns. Identifying and defining landscape heritage should be an important component of spatial planning processes. Landscape is shaped on a local scale. In the spatial planning system existing in Poland it is local governments which are the authorities with the largest responsibility over spatial planning. The mere conservation of landscape resources without any measures which aim at planning and managing these resources is not sufficient as ...
